Chapter Summaries

Pomona and Georgiana reflected on power, guilt, loyalty, and the ways people were shaped by their roles, connecting those ideas to Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Snape. Georgiana met a boy absorbed in Newton’s work and considered whether to adopt him as a companion for Dermide.

• Pomona and a man shared an intimate moment, but she got up and told him to return to work.
• Georgiana considered how power and loyalty shaped Bella, Harry, Snape, and others, and questioned her own past judgments and choices.
• Georgiana reflected on Artemisia’s refusal of Reparative Marriage and on how people responded to suffering and guilt.
• Georgiana met a thin boy reading Newton’s work and asked how far he had gotten.
• Georgiana considered adopting the boy as a study companion for Dermide, while weighing the responsibility carefully.

Pomona dreamed of her life with Snape and wondered whether Harry and the others could defeat Voldemort, while Georgiana traveled with Leo and reflected on how difficult it was to teach children. The chapter ended with Georgiana discovering she had been holding her book upside down.

• Pomona recalled Harry riding Buckbeak through a storm and Dementors, then imagined Snape comforting her with candy and warmth.
• Pomona asked Snape whether the Deathly Hallows and Horcruxes would lead to success, and Snape urged her to remain in seclusion with him.
• Feilier brought Leo from the orphanage to Georgiana, who considered the risks of Magenta and Cicognara’s actions while studying political and historical matters.
• Georgiana compared the challenges of teaching Harry, Neville, and Hermione with her own task of educating Leo.
• Leo turned Georgiana’s book around and pointed out that she had been holding it upside down.

Pomona teased Snape as the chapter connected Harry’s escape from Gringotts to a dragon’s heightened senses. Georgiana examined an alchemical map and considered its dangerous potential, then opened a letter while wondering what Leon had kept from her.

• Pomona read Dante while Snape read the Daily Prophet, then teased him about his injured leg until he carried her away.
• The narration explained how Harry and his companions escaped Gringotts on the dragon and how the freed dragon later burned a Goblin under the Imperius Curse.
• The chapter recounted San Leo’s history as a fortress and prison for alchemists, including Count Cagliostro’s imprisonment and death.
• Georgiana studied Cagliostro’s linen map and considered whether alchemical knowledge and Geminio could help Bonaparte’s struggling finances.
• Georgiana put away the map, then opened one of two letters and wondered what else Leon had concealed from her.

Georgiana considered magnetic maps, astronomy, ancient Egyptian history, and the dangers of tomb plundering while reflecting on reports and memories from the past. After wondering whether to tell Caroline that she, herself, and Vernon had lost their Memory during a strange ritual, she lay down to rest.

• Alexander von Humboldt had proposed that Georgiana use magnetic declination to draw a new coordinate map, and she recalled Halley's earlier magnetic and wind maps.
• Oriani waited for a comet matching Méchain's old record, but after falling asleep he dreamed of a violent flood and drew what he had seen.
• Georgiana considered how the Dendera Zodiac and Egyptian calendars related to ancient astronomy and France's surveying efforts in Egypt.
• Georgiana recalled Napoleon's account of soldiers finding a turquoise chair, a dead Kurnan, and a gold necklace in a tomb, and of the private who later tried to pawn it.
• Georgiana thought of Grawp pawning Slytherin's Locket while pregnant, then wondered whether to tell Caroline about the Memory loss she, herself, and Vernon had suffered during a strange ritual.
• Georgiana set aside her worries about timber and Louisiana, reclined to rest, and closed her eyes.

Georgiana dreamed of Bonaparte discussing Russian military tactics and then witnessed an ancient Egyptian plot to curse a pharaoh. Back in the observatory, she urgently ordered Zabini to fetch Lestrange after realizing Bonaparte might be unprotected in Paris.

• Georgiana dreamed that Bonaparte explained the weaknesses of a Russian hollow square as cavalry charged it.
• The snowy scene transformed into an Egyptian palace, where a woman took a scroll from an altar and prepared a wax assassin with a priest.
• Champollion explained that the woman planned to curse the pharaoh because he had chosen another heir, while the priest appeared to support her plot.
• Georgiana awoke in the observatory and ordered Zabini to fetch Lestrange, fearing Bonaparte had no protection in Paris.
• Georgiana noticed water on the floor, recalled the dream, and found the starry sky had disappeared.

Georgiana drew symbols from her dream while considering protective magic and political threats. Rabastan warned her that Mr. Smith had destroyed the granary’s grain, and she ordered a search of Cicognara’s wine cellar for secrets.

• Georgiana drew the symbols she had seen in her dream and reflected on the limits of defensive magic and Napoleon’s hollow square.
• Bertin showed Georgiana fabric woven from silk and cotton, which the Piedmontese had made by blending cotton into silk thread.
• Rabastan Lestrange questioned Georgiana’s concern for the First Consul and warned that Mr. Smith was more dangerous than any outside threat.
• Rabastan told Georgiana that Mr. Smith had destroyed the grain in the burned granary and that officials had invented a fire to cover the loss and send Ouvrard away.
• Georgiana told Rabastan to give everyone good wine the next day and search Cicognara’s wine cellar for secrets.

Georgiana followed a vision of a spectral ship across a misty lake before Hathor revealed she was still in Italy and demanded that Georgiana complete her task. Georgiana admitted she could not, then transformed Hathor’s palace into a modest home where she felt content beside the memory of Snape.

• Georgiana saw a doe lead her through a vision of soldiers drowning in a frozen lake and a ghostly Sun King pushed onward by hands rising from the water.
• Hathor stopped Georgiana and revealed that the forest lake was an illusion in Italy, then asked whether Georgiana had completed her task.
• Georgiana said she lacked the ability to help and spoke about having forgotten someone only temporarily, while Hathor asked whether she loved Louis XIV.
• Georgiana used her wand to transform Hathor’s Egyptian palace into a shabby home that she called her own and associated with a future life with Snape.
• Hathor congratulated Georgiana for finding the trick, and the two played music with glasses of water while Hathor turned hers into wine.

Georgiana discussed dangerous Muggle artifacts and the limits of magic with Rabastan Lestrange while explaining why she wanted access to the world’s most complete records. She left Rabastan with instructions to copy the library’s books and avoid disturbing other collections, then continued enjoying Cicognara’s wine.

• Georgiana examined the bone flute Marquis Rolbon had given her, and Rabastan warned that it was dangerous.
• Georgiana asked Rabastan how the others were doing, and he said they were not doing terribly but were not well enough.
• Georgiana explained that Muggles sometimes found dangerous objects that could be useful to wizards, though she avoided answering Rabastan’s deeper question.
• Georgiana described how ancient magic and the Eleusinian Mysteries related to agriculture, creation, and the limits of what wizards could accomplish.
• Georgiana told Rabastan to copy every book in the library when he left and not to touch other collections unless it was safe.
• Georgiana walked away with her wine and planned to finish Cicognara’s cellar before switching to French wine.

Georgiana reflected on magic, memory, fame, and the burdens of growing up while wandering Cicognara’s estate. A young man showed her a sketch of a strange South American site and asked whether Cicognara would be interested in the Golden City, and Georgiana sent him to copy it.

• Georgiana considered how mirrors, ancient magic, and Parseltongue worked, and recalled Sirius using memories of James to resist Dementors.
• Georgiana thought about fame, family, and growing up, deciding she would not let others’ love or hatred shape her life.
• A young man showed Georgiana a sketchbook depicting primitive reliefs and a giant face sculpture, asking if Cicognara would be interested in the Golden City.
• Georgiana told the young man to copy the sketchbook and return it, while privately considering what she would do if Cicognara ran away.
• Georgiana watched snow melt against the glass and complained that she hated two old men as she searched the estate for inspiration.

Georgiana learned from Fredley that D'Hancarville Cicognara was a notorious swindler and forger who had stolen Hamilton's vases, leaving her unsure whether the ceramic vase she had received was genuine. Fredley then pressed her about ways to get goods into France despite Napoleon's trade restrictions, while their conversation turned to Georgiana's tastes and her home.

• Georgiana asked Fredley about D'Hancarville Cicognara after finding his book, and Fredley described the adventurer's history of fraud, theft, and forgery.
• Fredley told Georgiana that D'Hancarville had stolen Hamilton's ceramic vases and sold fake antiquities, so he could not authenticate her vase.
• Georgiana asked why Fredley had come, and he explained that Napoleon's ban on exporting gold and silver complicated foreign trade and described dangerous mountain routes into France.
• Georgiana rejected Fredley's suggestion that she was clever enough to choose the best option for herself.
• Fredley complimented Georgiana's home and asked about the eagle he had given her, and she said she had given it to someone else.

Bertin described how Parisian fashion shifted from white muslin dresses to blue gowns as Georgiana considered fashion, trade, and social status after returning to Paris. The chapter also recounted the dangers of naval cannons and Nelson’s victory at Cape Saint Vincent, then ended with Georgiana leaving Cicognara’s castle at Easter to get new clothes.

• A young Royal Navy recruit helped load a cannon, which exploded when it was fired and devastated the gun deck.
• Nelson and HMS Victory captured Spanish ships at Cape Saint Vincent in 1797 instead of attacking Nice’s supply lines.
• Bertin observed that white dresses and Indian cotton shawls dominated Parisian fashion, then blue wedding gowns suddenly became fashionable.
• Georgiana considered Marseille’s textile trade and the changing role of clothing and manners in signaling social status.
• At Easter, Georgiana put down her wineglass and book and left Cicognara’s castle to get new clothes.

Georgiana reflected on love, marriage, social rank, and the idea that nothing came from nothing as she traveled to Eastern Gate Castle. There, she found Polina hosting a fashion gathering with Milan’s noblewomen and joined her beneath their curious stares.

• Georgiana considered how invalid marriages could strip children of their legal rights and recalled the void marriage of Countess Cicognara and Count Veronese.
• Georgiana remembered her past time with Madame Tallien and reflected on Polina’s life as the Empress of France’s sister.
• Georgiana recognized that Polina’s trunk of Paris fashions could be given away to Milan’s noblewomen.
• Milan’s noblewomen gathered at Eastern Gate Castle while seamstresses helped them adjust the garments.
• Polina called Georgiana over from in front of a mirror, and Georgiana walked toward her as the women watched.

Georgiana sought Julian’s advice about whether to invite the Princess of Wales to Easter Mass, fearing the visit would cause a crisis. Their discussion turned to power, charity, and the costs of trying to change the world, and Julian urged Georgiana to hope that love would surround her.

• Georgiana examined the Eye of Horus necklace in a pavilion at Eastern Gate Palace while waiting for Julian, whom she had invited to advise her.
• Georgiana asked Julian whether she should invite the Princess of Wales to Easter Mass, and he told her not to invite her if her presence would cause trouble.
• Julian said he wished he had never left Paris and described the strain of dealing with people who believed that killing Napoleon would liberate the people.
• Georgiana told Julian that she had once shared his idealism, then urged him to show himself charity and carefully consider who should receive power.
• Georgiana reflected on women, love, and the person changing the world, and Julian told her that she would be surrounded by love before they walked away together.

Georgiana reflected on history, law, and reproductive freedom while considering Merope’s choices and the limits of her own influence. She remained troubled by the Princess of Wales and doubted anyone could stop her.

• Georgiana compared Attila’s invasion of Italy with the histories of Pannonia, the Huns, and the ancient Pannonian Sea.
• Georgiana considered how knowledge and technology could be misused, recalling Charity Burbage’s appeal to share magic with Muggles and the danger of gas canisters becoming bombs.
• Georgiana reflected on Merope’s ignorance and mistaken belief that having Tom Riddle’s child would make him take responsibility for her.
• Georgiana examined how laws and social customs treated women, marriage, and childbirth, arguing that the choice to have children should be a right rather than an obligation.
• Georgiana wondered whether speaking for victims of coercive reproduction could let her return to Paris, though she did not need the city as much as Madame de Staël did.
• Georgiana imagined asking the Princess of Wales to withdraw her influence but doubted anyone would dare oppose the mother of Britain’s future queen.

Georgiana developed a theory about the nature of Horcruxes while connecting sacrifice, souls, and the relationship between fathers and sons. She left her study seeking books on Gothic mythology, with Zabini waiting at the doorway and Feilier nowhere to be found.

• Georgiana returned to Marino Palace, removed her peridot necklace, and studied her manuscript about the soul and father-son relationships.
• Pomona wrote down a new line of thought linking Voldemort's Horcruxes to murder, sacrifice, and the return of souls to places they considered safe.
• Georgiana reasoned that Voldemort's later Horcruxes might differ from the diary and that the essence of creating one might not simply be murder.
• Georgiana wondered whether Zabini would cover for her disappearance, then recalled Nagini's body revealing a face like Voldemort's when Neville destroyed her.
• Georgiana called for Feilier to find books about Gothic mythology, but no one answered, so she left the study to look for him.

Georgiana learned that forty women had been cast into Kotor Bay after villagers accused them of witchcraft, and she ordered the survivors protected while their attackers were investigated. Shaken by what she heard, she sent a sealed letter and ended the chapter reflecting on revenge.

• A naval officer told Georgiana that his crew had rescued a haggard woman and thirty-nine others from Kotor Bay after villagers called them witches.
• Georgiana faltered before using Legilimency, and Zabini learned that the villagers had thrown the women into the sea after a Sun Festival.
• Georgiana ordered the survivors handed over to the army, their statements taken by someone who spoke their dialect, and the naval officers' memories erased.
• Georgiana arranged clothes and shelter for the survivors, then returned to her desk and wrote a letter sealed with her emblem.
• Georgiana sent the letter without her ring and wondered whether the hollow feeling inside her was what revenge felt like.

Georgiana reflected on the French occupation of Corfu, the political struggles behind it, and the moral arguments used to justify war, while recounting the rescue of the witches from a sinking ship. She ended by considering the painful compromises in her own life and taking comfort that the disturbing experience had only been a dream.

• The witches were rescued from their sinking ship after French warships appeared in the Bay of Kotor, and Georgiana later included their ordeal in her report.
• The chapter recounted how Kara Mahmud and Ali Pasha expanded their power, clashed with the Ottomans and Russians, and how the French occupied Corfu.
• Georgiana considered legal and moral justifications for war, including Credence's treatment by Second Salem and MACUSA's actions against him.
• Georgiana reflected on her discomfort at the witches' suffering and compared the conditions of peace to a marriage requiring mutual compromise.
• Georgiana thought about Severus's refusal to have children, the risks of wizards meddling in Muggle affairs, and the painful price she had paid for wisdom.
• Georgiana concluded that the events had been a dream and felt relieved that no one would know what she had experienced.

Georgiana reflected on witch hunts, loss, and the limits of war while trying to identify where Voldemort might gather his followers. She argued with Julian Ouvrard about justice and the women aboard their ship, but he left without helping her decide where they should settle.

• Georgiana recalled the medium’s sacrifice, the persecution of healers, and the losses that war brought.
• Julian Ouvrard told Georgiana that vampire hunts had continued despite Maria Theresa’s ban on witch trials, then asked what she had written to the First Consul.
• Georgiana defended public arbitration and procedural justice, using Anna Goldi’s case and an Auror’s defense of an orphan as examples.
• Georgiana considered the strange disappearance of Voldemort’s bodies and wondered whether Lily’s magic had altered the Killing Curse.
• Georgiana asked Julian where the women aboard the ship could settle, but he instead asked whether she would meet the Grand Elder and then left without answering.

Georgiana reflected on Maria Theresa’s inheritance, reforms, and the legal and social conditions surrounding witch hunts, vampires, and healers. A new maid announced that breakfast was ready, and Georgiana left her bedroom to attend the breakfast meeting.

• Georgiana looked out at the stormy morning sky and considered Maria Theresa’s path to power.
• Georgiana recalled how manorial courts and Hungarian nobles exercised judicial authority, and how Maria Theresa’s reforms restricted witch trials and death sentences.
• Georgiana reflected on continued witch persecutions, vampire claims, and the dangers faced by healers.
• Georgiana connected immortality with the need for youth, vitality, and beauty, and thought of Voldemort’s appearance after his resurrection.
• A new maid told Georgiana that breakfast was ready, and Georgiana went to the breakfast meeting.

Georgiana used a breakfast gathering to discuss restoring government in Dalmatia, containing the witch hunts, and redirecting trade while weighing threats from regional powers. After Rabastan Lestrange demanded revenge, she pointed him toward a dragon terrorizing a Hungarian lord’s lands and warned him to leave no evidence.

• Georgiana and the others discussed placing forty women on an Adriatic island and restoring government functions in Dalmatia.
• The gathering considered Kara Pasha and Ali Pasha’s expansion, Russia’s possible moves, and diverting Trieste’s cotton toward Lyon.
• Rabastan Lestrange arrived demanding revenge and suggested causing a tsunami.
• Georgiana told Rabastan about a dragon attacking villages in Hungary and warned him to leave no evidence of his actions.
• Georgiana returned to the breakfast gathering after telling Rabastan that their conversation had never happened.